More than one third of N.J. beach towns that require beach badges are increasing summer rates

Beach tags are as much a part of the Jersey Shore as boardwalk splinters, rip currents and sand, well, everywhere. Now, for the second summer in a row, it will cost many beachgoers a bit more to get that dip in the ocean. More than a third of the 42 towns that require beach badges are increasing their rates, with the average cost of a seasonal tag rising a dollar, to $44. Seasonal or daily badge prices increased by $2 or less in Avalon, Cape May Point, Harvey Cedars, Lavallette and Stone Harbor. In Asbury Park, Bay Head, Beach Haven, Long Beach, Loveladies, Point Pleasant, Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, Ship Bottom and Toms River, seasonal prices rose by $5. But in Barnegat Light and Long Branch, the price for a seasonal tag climbed $10 — the biggest increase by any Shore town. Howard Woolley, Long Branch’s administrator, said the hike to $45 on seasonal badges was necessary. "We’ve had a lot more people at the beach and it takes a lot more to run it," said Woolley, adding the city hasn’t increased costs for at least 17 years. Woolley said Long Branch took in about $1 million in badge revenue last year, leaving the city $300,000 to $400,000 short. Officials this year hope to break even. "Some guy on Second Avenue in Long Branch shouldn’t have to pay for some guy from Pennsylvania to come to the beach," he said. "We’re not trying to make money, we’re just covering our costs." The town manager in Beach Haven, where seasonal badges are increasing by $5, echoed Woolley’s concerns. Richard Crane called tags a "user fee for beachgoers," saying they offset beach-maintenance costs.

WILDWOOD'S TOP BEST BEACH LIST

For the third time in four years, Wildwood has been named the state’s best beach in the annual online contest run by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant and the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center. Here’s the top ten: 1. The Wildwoods 2. Long Beach Island 3. Ocean City 4. Sea Isle City 5. Cape May 6. Asbury Park 7. Seaside Heights 8. Island Beach State Park 9. Cape May Point 10. Sandy Hook

The idea behind a 1955 state law was that towns could "provide facilities and safeguards for public bathing and recreation," including lifeguards, by charging "reasonable fees." But some beachgoers say what’s reasonable to some is not so much to others. "We don’t want to spend it all at the beach," said Allie Allen, 19, as she and her friend, Rachel Roth, 18, shared at a towel on Melrose Terrace beach in Long Branch earlier this week. The Monroe women, self-proclaimed "beach bums," said they’ll find a cheaper beach. But Rollo Jones of New Brunswick said the Shore is still a relatively cheap date. "It is what it is," said Jones, 39. Other "people want to travel — I’ll pay for the tag." Michael Busler, an associate professor of finance at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, noted the beach is an "inelastic demand" — and only a tankful of gas away for 30 million people. "If someone wants to go to the beach, and even if the gas is a couple bucks more or the beach badges are a couple bucks more, it’s probably not going to stop them from going," Busler said. Even though she’s been out of work for more than a year, Irene Cappellani, 52, of Aberdeen said she’ll continue to pay to play in the sand. "There’s nothing else to do, and it’s so convenient," Cappellani said as she scooped up her 1-year-old granddaughter from the surf in Long Branch. "It’s like being away without going away. It’s like a vacation."